England Internationals Set To Avenge World Title Defeat At ROWE British Grand Prix

The ROWEBritish Grand Prix – Manchester 2011, the fourth of nine PSA World Series championships in 2011, will take place at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.

It was on Saturday that favourites England went down 2/1 to defending champions Egypt in the climax of the most successful world team championship in recent memory in Paderborn.

Nick Matthew, the world number one from Sheffield, is seeded to meet Ramy Ashour in the Manchester final in a repeat of the first string battle in Germany where the Yorkshireman suffered his first ever straight games defeat by the world No2 from Cairo.

“So far this season, Ramy is playing the best squash but a lot can change,” said 31-year-old Matthew after his defeat. “But I have to go away and look at how to play him. He raised the bar and I have to respond to that.”

Willstrop suffered his first defeat to career-long rival Karim Darwish in five years.

“It was very hard to take, especially after all the effort that we as a team have put in but, after a while, you realise you just have to move on – you have to deal with losses and disappointments like this in sport,” said Leeds-based Willstrop later.

Willstrop and former world number one Darwish are also in opposite halves of the British Grand Prix draw – and could only meet again in the final.

It was Peter Barker who scored England’s lone win in the world championship final – his sixth successive win in an undefeated run in England shirt in Paderborn!

Barker, the seventh seed in Manchester, looks set to have to beat team-mate Matthew to progress to the final, according to the draw.

Daryl Selby, the world No11 who was making his world championship debut for England, won all but one of his four matches. The Manchester draw predicts that the 28-year-old from Brentwood will line up against Gregory Gaultier, the world No6 from France, in the last 16.

For the second year in a row, the ROWE British Grand Prix will be the biggest event to be held in the year in the UK.

The qualification rounds will be held at Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th September. Matches start at 12:00 noon on the Friday and at 5:30 pm on the Saturday. Entry is free for all spectators.

Issued by media@isportgroup.com on behalf of the ROWE British Grand Prix – Manchester 2011

England internationals Nick Matthew, James Willstrop, Peter Barker and Daryl Selby will be aiming to make up for their defeat by Egypt in the World Team Championship final in Germany at the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship in Manchester in three weeks.